Five hospitals shortlisted for upgrading — Tufton

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Health Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, says five hospitals have been shortlisted for upgrading over the next three to five years with loan funding of US$50 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

These institutions are the Kingston Public, Spanish Town, May Pen, Mandeville and St Ann’s Bay Hospitals.

Speaking at the recent opening of the National Linear Cancer Treatment Centre at St Joseph’s Hospital in Kingston, the minister said they were identified for inclusion in a study that was conducted on behalf of the Government by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

UNOPS is the United Nations (UN) operational arm, dedicated to implementing projects for the UN System, international financial institutions, governments, and other partners around the world.

“The intention of upgrading these facilities [is] to deal with the demand for in-patient care, specialist treatment and surgeries,” the minister explained.

Tufton said come next year, “you will begin to see ground being broken for some of those developments, in keeping with our commitment to modernise our public health infrastructure”.

The minister also reiterated that construction of the proposed Western Children’s Hospital in St James, which forms part of the health sector’s modernisation thrust, is scheduled to commence by March 2019.